What I Wish Dustin Brown Had Said Today…

BROWN: “I played against Jeff in junior. He’s a goal scorer and I think he’s definitely going to help our team in a lot of areas. He’s a big, strong, fast guy and he can shoot the puck. Guys are excited.”

I wish he had said:

BROWN: “I played against Jeff in junior. He’s a goal scorer and I think he’s definitely going to help our team in a lot of areas. He’s a big, strong, fast guy and he can shoot the puck. Guys are excited but know that he is here because I am not doing my job and I am not scoring enough goals and creating offense. I am not the only one but it starts with me.”

About giving up Jack, he said:

BROWN: “I’ve played with Jack since he has come into the league, and I’ve seen him grow, year by year. He’s a good player. You’ve kind of got to give up something to get something in return. I talked to him a bit last night. He was as OK as you’re going to be when you get traded. I think he’s excited about the possibility of probably being `the guy’ in Columbus. I wish him the best of luck, and I’m sure he will be fine.”

I wish he had said:

BROWN: “I’ve played with Jack since he has come into the league, and I’ve seen him grow, year by year. He’s a good player. We lost a teammate yesterday, not because of Jack but because we weren’t scoring goals and, again, that starts with me. I talked to him a bit last night. He was as OK as you’re going to be when you get traded. I think he’s excited about the possibility of probably being ‘the guy’ in Columbus but it shouldn’t have gone this far and I take responsibility for it.”

About whether it is tense for the guys, he said:

BROWN: “It’s probably the same amount of pressure every year, I guess, depending on the team, if you’re a buyer or a seller, or maybe a little of both. It’s the same story every year. Players are going to be moved around this time, just like draft day. After you’ve been through it a few times, you understand that it’s a part of the business and you go about your business as a player, getting yourself ready to play games. Because, at the end of the day, we have two games here before the deadline that we need to win. We’re in a situation where we can’t be sitting back, wondering what’s going to happen or if someone is going to get moved. We have to worry about getting wins right now.”

I wish he had the gumption to add to that last sentence “and I am expected to lead that charge. And I will do it.”

About his name being out there now, he said:

BROWN: “I can’t say you don’t think about it, but it’s more along the lines of getting here and getting on the ice and working on what I need to do to play well on Saturday. Ultimately, that’s my main focus, is being the best I can for every game. It’s the same thing every year, around this time. Your name gets thrown out there, other names get thrown out, and at the end of the day, you’ve got to get yourself ready to play. You can’t worry about stuff like that.”

I really, really, really wish he had said:

BROWN: “Of course I think about it. But I won’t let it affect my game. The best way to get it out of my head is to start producing, scoring goals, causing the rumors to stop because I am doing my job as captain of this team, bringing my best game every game, leading by example, so that we’re not satisfied and I’m not satisfied by just making the playoffs but going deep. I want to a win a Stanley Cup. I want to do it as a Los Angeles King and that’s the only thing I want my mind on from the moment I get to the rink to the moment I leave. God bless Surly & Scribe.”

I don’t know how to Captain. Never did. Why bother with the politics. Why hang around after the game and tell the press why we were shut out again. I don’t even know why we don’t score goals, and so the press should not ask that stupid question any more. All I can tell them is that we have to find ways to score goals. But they want to know what I don’t know. Who gave me that job in the first place. I was stupid to take it. I am just a checker and 4th line player anyway. After this length of time, you have seen the most I can do on the ice. It ain’t going to get better, so stop looking at me to score…
Besides, who wants to be in LA anyway, as it is a crappy franchise that has always sucked. It is a shitty place to play and it is only good for the beaches and bars and chicks. It has gotten to the point where I just zone everybody out and don’t give a rat’s ass about anything anyway. See ya later…

Thanks for the clarification Scribe. I usually dont comment on anything Brown here thinking you (myself being a pretty new reader here) were a Brown hater.

I like the guy, shows goof effort, goes for big hits, comes through in big ways, but lacks some consistency. I like the guy, but he isnt perfect of course. But at his contract price is a great deal. I was pumped when he became cap, dont care if he keeps it or not, more than anything; like I hoped (with JMFJ too) would retire a King. I want to see us develop some guys and retain them, to me it sucks that we cannot develop and keep guys. Is that not what a good club should be doing? In my eyes that is the LARGEST failure of DL. Too many guys go elsewhere to do better, or we just flat out ruin them. They get suckered in by his BS.

Back to my original point, I am glad to see you want him to do better, rather than being a hater. I dont mind difference of opinion, it is healthy. This just put me more at ease here. thanks

Mars…If you are new to this blog, you willfind it is a great one! It has become my one of two that I read as my time is limited. The guys on hete are rough and raunchy..not my thing being female. BUT I value their insight, ans Surly and Scribe are excellent writers who Love our Kings. We do have slammers..and haters..and you will learn who is who, and just skip over them. I LOVE Brown. And I am someone who wants most if the players to be lifers. I have come to learn in this age of Free Agency it is not to be. I hate it regardless, but it is a fact.
GO KINGS GO!!!

If he had said those things, I would have gotten an erection and started a religion in his name. Then, he if actually followed through and did it, I would have made Jacob the religion’s first martyr. Do not forget that I am the founder of the Kopitarian faith. Google it.

Plus it’s not his fault nor is it reasonable to expect him to take the blame for everything, so it just ends up being disingenuous or naive. Plus, I don’t really care what canned response they give the media. I don’t think it’s important. Just avoid saying something stupid and/or throwing someone under the bus and you’ll be fine.

Stupid move to trade Brown. He isnt the right Captain for the team but that doesnt mean you gotta trade him. My theory is that he was part of the larger package for Carter and Nash that was reported and they must have got it in their heads that once they made the decision to make him available for that trade that he should still be shopped if there is an upgrade offensively to be had. They may also be questioning his chemistry with Kopitar and Richards.

I agree with you guys, he’s not mean enough, he doesnt fight and and has stretches of not producing. He whiffs his shots sometimes almost every game, sometimes on empty nets.

On the other hand he hits everything that moves, hes a gamer, brings effort every night, is good for average 25 goals a year and is cheap. You loose Brown and we get softer right away up front. Carter isn gonna hit anybody. We need to keep that hard to play against MO. (wish we had kept Poni).
You gotta have Brown on a contending team and there isnt too many Browns in the league. Thats why every team wants him. I dont know what happened, maybe Lieweekly or Luc stepped in and said WTF, no way? It just reeks of Lombardi desperation.

I do think they need to take away the C. If they sat him down and said, “we arent gonna trade you, youre and awesome player and a cornerstone of this team, but we feel a new leader/new voice is needed” he’d suck it up and play his part. Hes a King to the bone and a team first guy, he’s not a pussy he’ll deal with it. It would also take a lot of pressure off him.

I also think thats easier to do if you bring in a veteran leader like a Brendan Morrow. I think the guys given the circumstances would accept a respected Veteran into the room being given the C.

I would ultimately love to see Iginla as Captian here or even Doan (not gonna happen now that they have new ownership). Maybe when Calgary blows up the team in the offseason we could make that cap hit work for the year before Quick gets a raise. Don’t think we have the assets to get him but that would be kick ass.

With Monday’s NHL Trade Deadline looming, teams are making decisions on whether to buy or sell and deciding which players can make the biggest difference or hold the greatest value.

Check out today’s trade rumours and speculation from around the NHL beat, and follow TSN.ca each day until Deadline Day for all the updates.

Kings Still Shopping

Following Jeff Carter’s trade to the Los Angeles Kings, the team appears to still have several irons in the fire according to TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie.

McKenzie, who was on the NHL on TSN panel on Thursday night, said that the Kings were still talking to a number of teams about their goaltender Jonathan Bernier in their quest to add another forward. McKenzie also stated that the captain of the team, Dustin Brown is also a player that could get moved.

McKenzie reports that the teams with the highest level of interest in Brown are Boston, Buffalo, Edmonton, New Jersey, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Toronto and Vancouver.

According to ESPN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, the Kings did talk to a few teams, including Toronto, but unless they get an offer they can’t refuse, they seem willing to keep him. However, he adds more than a few general managers thought Brown was available as of Thursday night.

Among those who need to do that more often is captain Dustin Brown, who found himself addressing his own trade rumors after TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Brown was “in play” and teams have shown interest.

“I can’t say you don’t think about it, but more along the lines of getting here, getting on the ice and working on what I need to do to play well on Saturday because ultimately that’s my main focus is being the best I can for every game,” said Brown, who is second in the League in hits but has only 14 goals and 31 points. “Like I said, it’s the same thing every year around this time. Your name gets thrown out there. Other names get thrown out. At the end of the day you got to get yourself ready to play. You can’t worry about stuff that hasn’t happened yet.”

Unless I am missing something, Brown was not up for trades last year or the year before.

It is only now that he smells the coffee and realizes that the Franchise is pissed off with him.

Mgt will trade him or scare the crap out of him to stand up and play to win.

“If you are not pissed off with him and the team, then you must be very mellow and on prozac.”

… You’re making up things again! Although I am pretty mellow, sure.

“I was just watching NHL Live and they had a whole segment on Brown and what are the possible deals.”

… Bravo to you for watching NHL Live or whatever, but I haven’t heard anything that would indicate management is pissed off with Dustin Brown or wants to “scare him” (?), nothing like that.

I don’t doubt that management is disappointed with the results of the team thus far in the season but a) that isn’t all on Dustin Brown, and b) management has had a lot to do with the disappointing results themselves. Pointing a finger at the captain is complete bullshit, and if anyone in the organization is doing that, they need to look in the mirror.

This guy shouldve been traded a looooong time ago. But I feel with management thinking he’s great in physicality that they’re not going to trade a player like that. That he’s a necessity. No hands at all…

I am NOt going to read the bloggers here because I am stressed enough by
the rumors..
“I want to a win a Stanley Cup. I want to do it as a Los Angeles King and that’s the only thing I want my mind on from the moment I get to the rink to the moment I leave”
I spent yesterday talking with friends and thinking and absorbing our trade and what might be happening in the next few days..
One of the comments I made is Brownie is not a natural leader.. it is not his personality..not in his makeup.. but when he was asked he stepped up because he is a team player and has done what he is capable of doing.. I see the added stress on him. It would be nice if another guy was appointed C next season.. but not because we lose Brown! but because he would be able to focus on his game.
On losing JJ.. I feel bad for him as he did sign a team friendly contract.. not a me first contract…. people can say he was overpaid or overated.. I think as a young player he progressed forwardly each year.. he had/has good work ethics and I think this will be yet another player we will regret giving up.. yes the team did put itself in this delima by their poor showing this season.. and we do not know what is going on
in that room as we are outsiders..I hope we get can back on track and salvage the remaining part of the season.. I hope the team does not need to be blown up as the popluar phrase being tossed around these days.. I will now add JMFJ to my
list of players I will be following for the rest of their carrers.. along with Simmer/Hanzues/my Fro.. I don’t do well with this part of My Passion:HOCKEY
GO KINGS GO!!!

Scribe,
You should be one of those guys who briefs the politicians on how to conduct interviews so that they don’t speak from the heart, but speak from a preprepared politically correct view where everything is pleasing to the masses ears without leaving the rest up to doing the work, and showing everybody.

If you can become a republican, maybe we would have a chance of getting rid of Obama and his “Hope, and Change” bullshit.

It is your perspective in life that often forms opinions, and in my case, I have been a self employed business person, where I have had to run a business and hire and fire. Hiring is the best part of running a business as it is generally a chance to cultivate and bring on board good talent and workers, with getting them molded early on what is needed and expected. In hiring, I would always point out that there is pay increases based on many factors of good merit and performance.
The firing part was the worse part of course, as something went wrong, or there was a better person that could fill the shoes.
I mention this because nobody typically looks at it from the ownership and management point of view, as the employers of these millionaires.
Now, putting aside that there are many issues with this Franchise and management, and an absentee disinterested present on the site ownership,
the franchise has an upside down year that has to make people pissed off.
Last summer and going into camp, they put together a solid team on paper.
They had their coach who worked hard in camp to get these guys to work for the big prize. A whole lot of money is being paid everywhere to get this whole
team to get out on the ice and perform.
I am sure Murray did all the tricks in the book to motivate and instill pride and desire and hard work.
So, the wheels come off the season early on. The Franchise fires the Coach.
That makes management angry too. They are firing because this generally healthy team is lackluster on offense, actually a league embarrassment and lampooned in the Eastern Canada and US hockey markets in particular. Every fricking day the Franchise sees hockey talk everywhere that the offense sucks and is the bottom of 30 teams for offense.
The point is that this Franchise is or should be pissed off with these players who were given tons of money to at least try to get 3 lousy goals a night, please…
Is that really that hard for pro hockey guys, coming up as kids and juniors, whatever, to figure out to get at least 3 goals a game. With 3 goals a game on average, with the great defense, you get the 98 points to get into the Playoffs.
Nope, these players, with Brown the leader, struggle endlessly, where even the fans in the arena can see what is wrong.
So, yeah, the Franchise should be mad at these guys and make them pay for what they did for an upside down season and joke around the league and in the press and media.
Frankly there are too many pansy fans out here that accept the plate of dog food given to them. Hell no, and you dump players who have been given a fair chance to perform.
Any Lombardi goes too after this mess should the Kings miss the playoffs or is knocked out in round one.
So, that is my perspective, I will hire and fire as needed based on the facts on the table and if you piss off the owner and boss, watch out and expect some
trades.